All winter long I have been secure in my coats and vests, believing they could cover and hide my expanding waistline more than probably is true.  But winter can't last forever, and anxiety over the summer clothes coming out was becoming unbearable.  For 2 years I have struggled with a course of action to achieve not only weight loss, but energy and a sense of health.  I have been tipping the scales at or above 180 pounds for far too long and have been growing desperate.  I was tempted to once again try another round of HCG, but couldn't bring myself to face diet restrictions.  I couldn't go back to SugarFree because the very strict menu was rather expensive and we just couldn't budget the cost.  I also, never continued the rigid program and don't know how to maintain.  I could lose a little and then bounce right back up, this I knew and this is not what I wanted.  Also, I had improved my eating lifestyle to a certain extent and was enjoying food.  Although, I was heavy again I felt pretty good- my hair was thick and shiny, my back and knees didn't hurt as badly, my face and skin was bright.  Food was a welcome necessity I had been denying myself.  Since I was worried about finding another diet I started to turn my attention to thyroid medication.  I couldn't afford going to a doctor so I was going to try and order natural dessicated thyroid medication.  I was nervous and unsure though.  It would be a monthly cost for who knew how long?  I also knew a pill was not the whole solution.    

Then I was introduced to T-Tapp through a blog I love, Empowered Sustenance!  She wrote a wonderful introduction to the exercise and health program.  I also was intrigued because she wasn't using the program for weight loss specifically.  Focusing on the number on the scale was not somewhere I wanted to tread.  I went to the T-Tapp site and read.  Sounded worth a try to me.  I bought the Kindle version of the book on Amazon, read through all the intros and then started the next day- the 7th of March.  I took my measurments, took before pictures (yikes!) and struggled through the sequences the first couple of days.  I would suggest buying the videos or finding as many as you can on the T-Tapp site and youtube (I hope to buy a package once I outgrow the available material).  The written version is very difficult to get a grasp of the tempo and timing of the exercises.  I had two days of pretty intense detox- headaches, tiredness and intense hunger (the movements reenergize and flush your lymph system and it can be pretty bad :)).  I ate A. LOT. those first two days.  I couldn't help it, and it was mainly sugary foods.  Then all of the sudden about day 4 everything tasted TOO sweet.  I pulled a Tillamook yogurt out of the fridge had a couple bites and couldn't stomach the sweetness.  I used to LOVE those regardless of knowing they do contain a lot of sugar!  So without consciously trying, my rather annoying sweet tooth has started to dissipate.  

The other amazing benefit was the improvement of my lower back pain.  I am determined to plant a garden this spring and my back has been concerning me, because of the constant pain.  It was better than last winter, but still a bother.  By day 3 the pain was all but gone!  Once I pushed through day 3 and the feelings of discouragement that can come, I came out day 4, and 5, and 6 feeling incredible!  

Check out my measurements too!    

My greatest loss of 2 inches was around my main problem area, my abdomen.  I could feel it too!  Less bloaty and thick.  I can cinch up my torso muscles in a way never possible to me even in my highly athletic days.  Also my legs are starting to equalize.  I was surprised that my leg measurements were pretty far off from the left to right leg, but in just 7 days they are starting to equal each other.  Anyway, 10 inches in 7 days felt pretty great!  Especially with only 15-30 minutes a day I spent in actual workout mode.    

I will soon be done with my 14 day challenge and will take my 14 day measurements.  I will drop down to every other day workouts for another 4 weeks and then every two days for another 4 weeks.  By the end of May I should be feeling pretty strong and fit.  I also am not denying myself food too!  I can eat a cookie and not kick myself for it.  I am not focused on the scale and calories.  My body is naturally coming around to eating, sleeping and moving better!  The best thing is once I achieve my goals in order to maintain I have to workout only 1-2 time a week!  Once you develop those core muscles it is easy to maintain and use them throughout the day not just at the gym.  Also, try the Hoe Downs and you will get a taste for the mental part of the workout too!  It is pretty funny initially and then all of the sudden it clicks.


This morning I ran across this blog:  This Lovely Place.  I have a tendancy to expect myself to be perfect the very first try or have results that are immediate.  It just gave me a little extra motivation to stick with it and see what happens.  It is fun to come back to a sequence that was very difficult a couple days ago and be able to do it just a little better with greater control and form.  Mastering each move a little more each day.   


Who knows if this is the answer, because I have thought I had been on to many answers before.  All I know is I am enjoying moving again.  I am enjoying not being afraid to try again.  I am enjoying feeling stronger.  I am enjoying having hope again.  Such a great feeling!  If a size 8 or 6 follows, well all the more icing on the top!  

                                                                                                                  P.S.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

5 years ago, 2 minutes into the day of July 15th... we welcomed our second baby girl into the world.  Well, "welcomed" is not exactly the correct term.  It was more of a traumatic, train-like experience.  I look back on this birth day, even after half a decade with strange combinations of feelings......  

"You got her here safe and sound."  "She was healthy."  "You were okay."  "What more could you ask for?"  "You were tough!"............ and then..... "Why!?"  "Why did they do this to me and my baby?!"  "I should have learned about birth."  "I should have taken care to do what I could to protect you from some of, what I now believe to be nonesense and unnecessary practices in regard to birth."  

My little Faly.  Our little Ruffian.  I wish I would have known better for both you and your big sister.  I have never written your or your sister's birth story, or shared pictures of the day you came to meet me and your Daddy.  I just haven't been able to, and I don't know if I will be able to today, but this does not mean I love you any less.  I will try to write my feelings and thoughts though and let you know if I would have known better, I would have done better!  For you, my dear little girl.   

Now, your birth was not near like some of the horror stories I have heard, but I know I could have birthed you into this world the way you were meant to be- on your and my own terms!  I know it could have been different.  And yes, I am angry and hurt that I was duped into believing it was all normal, and even "ideal."  I was convinced that it was normal based on a fear.  A fear and the assumption that true natural birth is just plain excruciatingly awful!  This I have found to be the complete opposite, for me at least.  

Back to the story.... You were induced.  They say, I was induced, but you were too.  Pitocin was pumped through my viens to force you out.  For NO reason, no reason at all.  I was told that it was because of Strep B, and that I had to get you out after 4 hours of being administered antibiotics, but I know now that this is not the case.  That is merely what is done.  No one goes in to have a baby, when the time comes.  Everything is treated as an emergency- got to get that baby out!  An induction is always scheduled.  Count yourself lucky if you go into labor before they get you checked in and hooked up!  I was hardly laboring the day of the 14th, quite peaceful- laughing at your Daddy's jokes and walking around the maternity floor halls to "jumpstart" labor.  Contractions were far apart, not steady, or strong... no need to be concerned.  I should have just went home and let the contractions build unfettered, but I was in the hospital.  For no apparent reason, only a few hours in, as I sat on the birthing ball rolling my hips to relax I was asked if I wanted to "speed this up?"  I was induced with your sister and thought that was normal and just something I had to endure.  I knew it was going to be bad, from past experience, but boy oh boy- I didn't know it could be worse!  Far worse!  Women say you forget the pain, and I think that is true to a certain extent.  But it is not true in regard to forced labor.  I will never forget the extreme pain... thinking and believing that I wasn't going to make it through.  Almost passing out multiple times, trying to stand up in the bed to get away from the pain, but being held down by nurses and my husband (that is what he was told to do)...all this happening as I woke up the entire hospital with my screams.  It makes me extremely upset that these are the feelings I have:  fear, pain, distress.  You were under undue stress too, and that is exactly what they want- "pit to distress."  I wish like hell, I would have listened to the nurse who tried to subtly encourage me, "You are doing fine.  You don't need it, if you don't want it."


You didn't deserve to be stressed creating bruising, swelling and a huge lump on your head because of the hard birth.  You were trying to come out sideways, because you weren't fully ready or engaged.  I didn't deserve to be ripped apart by birth.  You didn't deserve to be cut from the chord and whisked away under blinding lights.  I didn't deserve to have to lay in horrific pain, unresponsive to local anesthetic as they stitched me up while you laid alone far away.  

We didn't deserve any of these things, but it is what happened and if I could go back in time I would.  That is not how life works, though.  However, I was fortunate enough to have circumstances happen to reveal that there were things about your birth that were NOT normal.  That there WERE and ARE other ways to birth, at least to TRY initially.  As I read and read I had to hold down my feelings to a degree or I would have exploded with anger, but anger does nothing.  You have to take that anger and make changes.  I was able to with your brother, and I want to thank you for being a part of my life to make me see that pregnancy, birth, motherhood, nursing all these things can be cherished achievements.  By this I mean, if I would have tried to trust my body and you and allowed the process-- even if it ended with need for intervention of any kind.  I would have felt like I did what was best.  I tried.  I was educated.  I was not ill, and was rather in the midst of a natural event that is yes, undeniably made safer with modern medicine, but only when needed.  I did not need pitocin.  I did not need to be induced.  I did not need an episotomy that was just done without discussion (not that I could discuss at that point even if I wanted). 

I know it may upset some that I wrote this.  It isn't pretty or romantic or sugar coated.  It sucked!  It was horrible, and my baby and I went through unnecessary pain this time 5 years ago.  I know people don't want to talk about this very much.  Women don't want to tell a story about the birth of a baby that is less than happy or joyous.  No one wants to see a picture of a newborn baby with the caption:  "Yep she is here, but this is what happened.  It was hell!"  No one wants to know that side of things.  We just omit those parts list the weight, time of birth and name and go on with life.  But I am going to tell it how it was without fear of backlash.  It was hell, and it DOES matter how babies are born into this world.  It DOES matter how mothers experience birth.  It does matter, and I know it does because I have experienced both and can speak on the subject.  Birth is a natural function of life, for the most part.  The majority of American women do not believe this, let alone experience this fact.  I thought I had a "natural" birth with my first two babies, because I didn't have an epidural.  I was so, so wrong.

This writing is laden with emotion and dripping with angst over the situation.  I can't help it, I wish so badly I could have given a birth experience of normalcy, strength, capability, connection, joy and peace to my two baby girls and myself, like I did with my little boy.  We have to change how we view birth.  We have to, because we owe it to future babies and mamas.  It doesn't have to be this way, and even the times when intervention is needed it can be done with a different kind of care and gentleness.  Some of you may be wondering, why?  Who cares?  What's the big deal anyway?  Women and babies are fine.  Well, I guess I can't really explain why if you are one to ask these questions.  All I know is that it means a lot for birth to happen differently and as peacefully as possible.  There are some who write scientific papers trying to prove just why and how it matters, but I am just here to say:  it does.  Although, you will see soon there is so much more happiness and joy surrounding my little girl, birth could have been so much better for her and for me, it just could have- this I know in my heart.    

Finally, in closing, I would like to transition to all the beauty and goodness of my little 5 year old:  

To my dear Falyn, on her 5th birthday.  While your birth day was difficult, I would go through it again a million times to have you in my life!  You teach me continually with your spunky heart to look past what things seem to be and try to see things underneath.  You teach me to love you in the way you need to be loved.  You teach me that although you appear to be a tough, tomboy, cowgirl :) you have a sensitivity to things that is just absolutely beautiful.  You feel things differently and care for things on levels I didn't know possible.  You teach me to forgive myself.  You teach me to love myself.  I am constantly surprised when you lovingly say, "Mama you are the most beautiful mama in the whole world."  You say it so much and at the times I need it the most.  I sometimes wish I could see what you see, and I want to strive to live and love better for you so you will always love yourself and think of yourself as beautiful.  By beautiful, I don't just mean your lovely face, striking green eyes and gorgeous strawberry-blond curly hair, but I mean your very being- who you are, what you are, how you are.     

.....because my dear you are, you are oh, so beautiful!
Here is to many more trips around the sun with you, our little Viking girl. :)                      

This afternoon I sat hunched over, sitting on a child's chair carefully plucking tiny individual, star-like lilac blossoms off of the newly budding sprigs... thinking and remembering.  Oh, how the unique fragrance brings back memories! The lilac holds a special place in my heart.  It all goes back to late middle school- 5th/6th grade, I can't remember which year in particular...

My family and I had moved back to Wyoming from Yuma, Arizona.  We temporarily settled in a small town called, Chugwater.  This community is huge ranching country.  In the spring, it is as if every single community member comes out to lend a helping hand to brand all the new calves.  This is a glorious time!  The warmer days bring with it a strong sense of community... ropes, branding irons, horses and/or 4-wheelers :), fences, roundups and huge potluck feasts after a long, long day of riding and wrestling calves.  The quintessential true west scene, which due to my upbringing and family background suited me like the pair of Justin boots and Rockies jeans I sported with my braids and bows.  I loved it, every moment!

During one particular branding, I received a HUGE bouquet of lilacs!  Now, this is not really the full story.  In all actuality I didn't really "receive," that would require a girl not completely hung up on the whole tomboy bit. :):)  A sweet boy, one whom I actually liked picked this bouquet and came up with his cousin alongside to give me this particular beautiful lilac bouquet.  I don't know what was wrong with me, but I was mortified!  I was so embarrassed to have this display of affection right in front of everyone that I impulsively threw them on the ground.  My mother, she was now the one mortified! :)  She had me pick up the flowers and take them to the car.  I remember being so embarrassed at my behavior and feeling the hurt and confused watchful stare of the boy.  And, I don't really remember what she specifically said to me, as we walked to the car, past the very bushes that were the origin of the bouquet... but I am sure it was something along the lines of, "This was a sweet gesture, don't be so ungrateful and rude!"  How I cringe remembering this memory, but I also smile in acceptance of who I was and how silly I was in regard to boys in general.  Who knows about these things, right?  Poor boy. :)  I was, and I guess still am a difficult one...

Trip down memory lane almost to an end....  the sweet, ethereal smell of the lilac has triggered another dear memory for me.  This is a special memory of sitting on chairs made using old tractor seats placed atop tree stumps located underneath a canopy of lilac bushes.  A special memory set on the ranch.....  There we were whittling, trying to catch wild kittens just starting to venture out, making pretend soup concoctions with sawdust, leaves, rocks and other treasures, playing hide-n-seek... bouncing back and forth between play and just quiet laying back watching the clouds roll by.  These were the sources of endless entertainment for us all.  These memories come with images of my Grandpa, sister and cousins.  And I couldn't depict more of a perfect picture.  It was just perfect.  The lawn area freshly mowed using the old push mower- one similar to this.  The garden just starting to show signs of life... and my Grandpa sat, expertly whittling alongside us.  We attempted to mimic his methodical movements with little pocket knives of our own.  My poor Grandmother, oh how she worried!  But there was no stoppin' the way of things.  There were to be cuts, bruises and dings but nothing "too close to our hearts" (an old saying of my Grandpa's... if we had a little scrape he would lovingly say- "It's a long way from your heart.").  These were the joys of spring, the joys of the ranch, the joys my Grandpa shared with us... the aroma of lilacs swirl and dance around these memories.                         

To wrap up the significance of the lilac in my life, the story wouldn't be complete without making note that I had lilacs in my bouquet at my wedding.  My mother-in-law somehow got the florist to find lilacs on very short notice.  It was also getting towards the end of the brief and fleeting lilac season so it was especially hard to find the flower.  It turned out lovely.  Our anniversary is actually this upcoming 10th of June!

    

So, I think it is apparent why I really LOVE lilacs. :)  So when I found out you could do more with lilacs than just cut them to put in a vase or bouquet, well I was pretty ecstatic... maybe a little too much. :)  I just found out you can EAT lilacs!  Yes, you can!  And yes, I have been this whole spring, and will be for future springs to come.  (Be sure they haven't been sprayed though.) 

It comes as no surprise, if there is something to bring to a function during this season, well you can rest assured I will sprinkle lilacs on whatever the dish it is I am bringing... even something as simple as a fruit plate.  I also am in the process of making lilac jelly!  So very excited to get this down pat and have little lavender colored jars to give out as gifts.  Canning up a little bit of spring!  I have also made lilac water, just for fun.  See below.  Today I made lilac peach pancakes.  Yum, yum!  You can make lilac infused sugar and honey.  You can make lilac ice cream, I mean the options are pretty limitless.  Take a look at my Pinterest Page dedicated to lilacs and have fun! 

Savoring the spring flower in a multitude of ways!  Happy Spring!    

Lemons have become a staple of my kitchen lately.  I have always loved lemons, but usually just to squeeze in my water and on my fish fillets.  Occasionally, I would grate the peels to make lemon zest, but that was pretty much the extent of my lemon use.  

My ignorance of the incredible uses of lemons went unknown til recently, and now I can't get enough!  Love lemons!  My favorite thing to do is save every single peel after juicing.  I use A LOT of lemons now that I make fruit snacks for my kiddos every week.  I feel so resourceful! :)  I place the peels in jars of plain ol' cheap white vinegar.  I put them on my window sill and wait a couple weeks and then make a delightful household cleaner.  I no longer have to spend money buying kitchen cleaners, which is so great!  

So how do I make the cleaner?  Well, all you do is strain off the lemon infused vinegar mix with water (50/50, or to your liking) and then I add about 10-15 drops of lavender and rosemary essential oils to make a disinfecting powerhouse cleaner!  (Please take note:  essential oils are very potent and should be used and selected with care.  Also, if you are worried about lavender as a hormone disruptor in males, take a look at this post and decide for yourself.)  The solution smells wonderful, and the best part I feel perfectly at ease letting my kids clean with this concoction.  

Speaking of kids cleaning! :)  I have finally set up a "Montessori-esque" cleaning center located near their kid sized table.  Boy, oh boy what a wonderful little addition that has eliminated a lot of mess stress.  This was one place in the house that really bothered me with the amount of mess and lack of personal accountability on my children's parts.  How could I ask them to clean up their spills, crumbs and general messiness if the tools were not readily available and safe?  Check out the cleaning center below!  All these items were purchased at the dollar store.  So for $7 I created a little space that fosters a little bit of responsibility for my kids and eliminates an everyday stressor for me.         

And in closing check out this great link for additional lemon use ideas!  Happy Lemon Cleaning! 

...there is just something I love about the color.  Here is an interesting article about that beautiful aqua blue color unique to early Ball mason jars: the secret lies in the sand of Hoosier Slide mined to nonexistence by the 1920's.

It may come as no surprise that I am coveting the limited edition Blue Ball Mason jars that are being produced and sold currently in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Ball company.  They are just gorgeous!  I am interested to know how they achieve the blue now?  Can't find a readily available answer, but who cares! :)  Love them so!      

And, just because... ran across this picture of a beautiful chandelier.  
Love, love!

Love the simple, vintage beauty of the mason jar...  

My husband loves Oreos, much to my dismay. :) These American favorites make the decision between cookie, cream or a bite with both difficult.  Oreos used to tempt me mainly in the wee hours of the night (a sign of nutritional deficiency- but I digress).  Oh, how I despise and love!  My distaste for them only grew more after I finally looked at the ingredient label. Ick!  Sorry, but pretty 
horrible. :)    

Additionally, although I am free of night time snacking nowadays, this item is still on the grocery list for my husband.  Switching to real food is not an immediate thing, and not all parties in the family can be expected to change with you at the same exact moment.  So, I am trying more and more to learn to make alternatives to the current desired processed items for members of my family as healthy as possible.  To do that I need to make most everything from scratch.  This can be time consuming, especially when things like this are usually readily available in their grocery bought packaging.  

So, yesterday I tackled the Oreo.  Oh, sweet success!  I obtained the recipe here.  Chocolate Covered Katie, can be brilliant, but sometimes the optional ingredients she lists, in my opinion are less than desirable.  So in this recipe, I made mine most definitely with coconut oil, and NOT vegetable oil.  I have dumped all of my old oils and now focus on those beautiful, healthy unaltered saturated fat oils.  I also, used organic coconut sugar, organic cacao powder, organic spelt flour, organic powdered sugar, Kerry Gold butter (in place of coconut butter- didn't have any coconut butter) and rich full-fat grass fed milk.  My point is homemade is marvelous, but it can go to that next level when each ingredient is carefully selected for quality and nutrition.  (Also, take note- I am finding more and more that "organic" is not a magical word.  Look closely at the ingredient list and specific brand.  If you aren't sure, research the product.  I will discuss this more in depth, because currently we have those nasty GMO's floating around that can pop up in everything including "organic" products.) 

In conclusion, this recipe is here to stay.  The family LOVED them!  If I say so myself, these homemade goodies are better than the "real" Oreo.  Lovely little cookies with which I can feel much better indulging my family's sweet tooth.       

I was rather boring in the kitchen and didn't even realize it...  By this I mean, I learned a handful of recipes (perhaps slightly more than a handful :)), but the point is I didn't branch out from my culinary comfort zone very much for the entire time of my single and married life.  I am not even talking about the quality or nutrition of these dishes, just merely the creativity and care of cooking was pretty dull and lacking.  I believe I am starting to change that fact a bit.

Recently, it seems I am constantly trying new recipes, and really there is no doubt about it, I am!  With this whole new desire to transform how and what my family ingests, comes the obvious shift to different ingredients and recipes.  Furthermore, simply put I spend a whole LOT more time in the kitchen.  I am cooking alternatives to things I once just picked up in a box, bag or can at the grocery store.  (I plan to write a little more about this soon, because I both love it and also grow tired of this extra work too.)  

In addition, I have to admit my camera's memory stick is a little heavy on pictures of food rather than the typical images of my children's faces. :)  Hopefully, I can balance this out, because no matter how much I am loving food these days I take even greater pride in my little ones.  Anyway, I would like to provide just a sneak peek into some of the recipes I tried out during the month of April, and share some of the pictures of the food I have tried to recreate in my kitchen. Most of these recipes you can also find pinned on my Pinterest page.  The photo will have the link to the blog I garnered the recipe.  If you would like to know further details about my experience with a certain recipe, feel free to ask!  I know sometimes finding out a little more information from someone who has tried a recipe out already can be immensely helpful, because recipes can't possibly mention every little helpful tip that trial and error can reveal. :)  I hope to take more time in the future for individual recipes, but for now I am just too excited to share all these appetizing dishes!  Also, I have linked almost all of my photos to their corresponding recipes from other blogs.  There are a few I can't locate at the moment, but I will!     

Happy Cooking!

Just wanted to take a moment and post about another small miracle that occurred in our home that has been plagued by sickness for a couple weeks.  The girls are better, but my little boy has been really suffering the past week.  He has had this unbelievable sinus infection that makes his eyes cake over with green goop each morning.  I know, probably too much information.  I have refused to take him in, because I just don't want to put him on antibiotics unless necessary.  

Today, I was starting to think things were looking "necessary."  He came down with a fever yesterday morning.  Fevers can be very nerve-wrecking, and high fevers like the one my son was experiencing was starting to make me quite nervous.  However, fevers should not always be a source of extreme anxiety.  Fevers are a healthy sign and can help the body get over what ever it is fighting more quickly.  These articles are worth a read:  The Mommypotamus, Holistic Squid.    

Anyway, his fever came out of the blue and it was quite high:  103.6 at one point.  He was just bouncing back and forth, feeling extremely cold and hot, because of his high fever.  I decided to try one of the suggestions in The Mommypotamus post:  Apple Cider Vinegar.  It is an old time remedy that is thought to "pull the fever out."  

So, I gave him a warm ACV bath and then soaked a rag and his socks in it to put on his forehead and feet, respectively.  I really wish I had a video of how he was acting before and after.  This typical high-energy kid has been out for the past couple days completely lethargic and only happy in the Moby Wrap or in bed.  Not long after application he jumped up from the little makeshift nest his big sister made him on the kitchen floor with copious amounts of blankets and pillows ("So he could be near me at all times even when I was cooking" :)), and promptly gave chase to his sister, whooping and hollering!  Now he by no means is cured.  His fever just lifted and he is acting like he feels like a whole new little man. :)

It also looks as if the fever perhaps "burnt out" the sinus infection, for lack of a better description?  He hasn't been waking up with green, goopy eyes from his naps today.  Time will tell.  

I keep thinking:  The doctor looked at me like I was a nut when I talked about an onion poultice for my ear infection... breast milk, now this. :)  I am sure it is just going to get better and better.  What kind of seemingly wacky home remedies have you all tried?         

I am now completely convinced of the following notion:  "If you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin!"  However, on second thought unfortunately the majority of us are okay with eating all sorts of unbelievable chemicals and artificial junk, that perhaps this saying isn't all together that true.  But, you get my point.  If you are into coconut oil, arrowroot powder, apple cider vinegar, honey, tallow... just to name a few than these simple healthy food staples easily blur the line between kitchen and powder room.


This has actually been the most exciting and fun transformation for me as of late.  I have been utterly ecstatic about trashing the old and bringing in the new.  LOVE, my very own made by me beauty products!  I feel like a chemist, okay well not really but I tweak here and putter there and find just the right combination that works for us.  Now, I am not just magically a genius on this topic, of course.  I know you all were starting to wonder. :)  No, not at all I am not, not even close!  I get all my recipes from the various blogs I follow.  However, it all started for me with this blog:  The Mommypotamus.  I bought her lovely ebook and have just scratched the surface!


I will discuss further and in greater detail each item I have eliminated, what I have replaced it with and why.  For now, I will start with deodorant.


I used Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Cool Essentials before and it was one of those things that just always worried me.  Here is a link to the ingredient list.   

First, horrible ingredient:  Aluminum Zirconium.  Why do they put aluminum in deodorants?  Well, they don't, it is used in anti-perspirants.  Aluminum blocks the pores, which in theory attempts to make a person not sweat.  I don't know about you all, but I still sweated regardless of rolling this on my armpits.  But more importantly, sweat is a NORMAL, DESIRED bodily function.  To roll on a known toxic metal, seems insane, but I did it for a good 15+ years.  

And, then take a look at the other ingredients.  The only two that I can even pronounce are: Hydrogenated Castor Oil & (Sunflower) Seed Oil.  Take a look at what Hydrogenated even means, and then tell me it sounds like something that should be in our deodorant let alone many foods.  Sunflower seed oil, sounds just fine on its own and if I was told exactly what kind of sunflower oil was used.  Not everything is created equal, we all should know that by now. :)  

Now what if I gave you this ingredient list?

• arrowroot powder
  
• baking soda
  
• coconut oil
  
• & maybe some beeswax and preferred essential oils

Of course, carefully and consciously choosing specific brands for each of these items makes it truly wonderful!  Here is the recipe I am currently using from The Mommypotamus.  I think for the summer I will be formulating a different version with beeswax from another great blog I enjoy:  The Polvika Family  

So why go to the trouble?  Why worry about such things?  
I am now, because I have ignored for far too long that our skin DOES absorb everything you put on it into our body.  I have known this for a long time, but it is easy to just swipe the thought from my mind and say it doesn't matter- it's just a little deodorant.  Furthermore, tumors have been shown to contain many of these cosmetic chemicals.  Although, this does not necessarily prove that the chemicals are the cause of cancer, it is enough for me to rethink what I put on my skin.  Also, a huge concern for me is how many chemicals found in cosmetics are hormone disruptors.  Hormones play a huge role in the health of our bodies.  It doesn't take much to throw off the delicate hormone balance of our bodies and a multitude of issues can develop.  

Also, I am now going through the trouble (not altogether that much trouble though) simply because it gives me immense pleasure to make my own products, knowing exactly what is in each of them and feeling confident putting them on my skin and the skin of my small children (not deodorant obviously :)).  It doesn't hurt that is pretty darn cheap, too!  

Finally, I am just sick of the ridiculously long, unpronounceable and typically, deliberately deceitful ingredient lists of most everything.  I am now of the opinion it is not necessary and no longer makes sense to me.  DIY, sounds just about right to me!     

This morning I was awakened a little before 7am to my middle child's cry.  She came in holding her ear, and I knew immediately this was bad.  Just last week I had to run into Urgent Care with unbearable, awful... worst than childbirth kind of pain (okay a little dramatic, but no... it was that bad). :)  A less than enjoyable experience waiting for the doctor and then even more uncomfortable waiting at the pharmacy.  Now I am dealing with the joys of antibiotics.  I was so not looking forward to this path for my little girl!

I hurried and got my oldest daughter ready for school and then raced over to my friend who recently had a beautiful baby boy, and who is breastfeeding.  I had actually used breastmilk (from another good friend!) in my eldest ear earlier last week (we were using it for pinkeye- works great, by the way!).  We have been going through a full scale onslaught of the crud.  It worked on my oldest daughter, but I thought that was a different situation.  She wasn't in writhing, inconsolable pain like my little middle child.  I however, was out of ideas and we of course couldn't get into the doctor until 10:40am- a long time to wait with that kind of pain.  We procured the liquid gold from my friend and rushed home.  I put it in her ear by about 8:30am and by around 9:00am she said, "Mama, I want to get up and play it doesn't hurt anymore."  What?!!!  She acted completely like her typical self and I kept watching her.  She was fine!

I went downstairs to tell my husband almost a little giddy that a trip to the doctor's visit looked like it would be unnecessary.  He was shocked.  He said, "But she was getting almost to the point you were when your eardrum ruptured."  I know!    

I put another dose in both ears and she has been fine all day!  

I am so very appreciative to the two women who donated a bit of their babies milk to my babies in need!  How very generous and I am forever grateful!

As always, I would just like to make note this worked for us at this time, but I think it depends on the type of ear infection your child has if it will work or not.  But in any case, in my opinion it is worth a shot. :)  So very happy it worked for my little girl though!  Thank you again to the mamas and babies who shared with us!